January's Paper Pumpkin Alternate Ideas

I've created some fun, alternate ideas using the contents of January's Love Notes My Paper Pumpkin kit*. (Keep in mind that I get 2 kits each month, so I have lots of supplies to work with. You will not be able to make all of these projects with one kit of suppllies.)

If you don't have a subscription (if you are not getting this fun box in your mailbox each month), you can click here to get signed up. It's only $19.95 per month and that includes shipping costs. To see other Paper Pumpkin projects from past kits, click here. This will link you to my Paper Pumpkin Pinterest Board. (This link may not work for you if you are not a member of Pinterest.) You can also see the ideas I've come up with by selecting the Paper Pumpkin category on the right and scrolling through past posts.

12×12 Pages! Ta-Da! (more detailed photos below) I make at least one set of 12×12 pages with each kit, so if you are a scrapbooker, this subscription is a great investment.

A mini album made with envelopes! (more detailed photos below)

Two greeting cards with different layouts than what is suggested in the kit's directions.

Valentines! You could get 16 from one kit if you wanted to. (more detailed photos below)

And a special Valentine treat! (more detailed photos below)

*The January kit's directions and supplies are set up for making 4 cards (2 of each of the ones shown below).

Now I'd like to share some of these projects in a little more detail, so I can give you a better picture of how I created them.

When I designed the pages, I first laid out all my pieces where I wanted them to go.

I love using the envelopes in the kits for photo mats. They are large enough and create a nice, crisp border.

To make better use of the doilies, I cut many of them in half. So instead of getting just 4 in a kit, you could have 8.

Here I am using my ruler to keep everything lined up and straight. The blue and white border sticker wasn't long enough to go across the full page, so I cut it into pieces to give it the appearance of a 12" long strip.

The gap in the strip was then covered up by one of the In-Color Boutique Details that came as a free gift with this January kit. (Gotta love free.) I attached it with a couple Glue Dots.

Here's another view of the finished pages. The only extra products I added to the kit to make these pages were: Basic Black 12×12 card stock, adhesives (Dimensionals, Glue Dots and SNAIL), the Stampin' Trimmer, and a Paper Snips.

The stamps, ink, and embellishments all came in the January kit.

When I designed the mini album, I started by connecting the envelopes together. I inserted the flap of one envelope into the opening of another being sure to put adhesive on the back before inserting. I inserted the third, by putting adhesive on the back of the flap and also sliding that flap into the opening of the first envelope. If you want a larger mini album, you could continue on this way with your fourth envelope. But I only used three total.

I embellished the front cover with the stamp images and stickers that came in the kit. Then I attached a bit of doily to a scrap of colored card stock (left over from when I made the valentines) and trimmed.

After attaching this piece using dimensionals, this is what my cover turned out to look like. The only extra products I added to the kit to make this mini album were: adhesives (Dimensionals and SNAIL), the Stampin' Trimmer, and a Paper Snips.

Dimensionals are my friends. 🙂 I LOVE how this cover looks.

Here are some photos that I took of the inside pages.

This would be a great mini album to give a sweetheart. Add photos to the outside of the envelopes and memorabilia or more photos on the insides! Simple and cute.

When I designed the Valentines, I got out some extra matching designer paper and the Envelope Punch Board tool so I could create tiny envelopes. I figured I could get four 2-1/2" x 3" Valentines from each card. The Envelope Punch Board could create envelopes for a card this small, so I went to work.

This is how I cut my two 2-1/2" x 3" cards from each card half. (I cut some small strips from one of the scrap pieces to use as flower stems.)

The Coastal Cabana and Pistachip Pudding In-Color Boutique Details (from that free gift that came in the kit) were perfect as flowers.

I wrapped pieces of the doilies around the edges of each Valentine. Again…there are enough cards supplies and doilies to make 16 little Valentines!

Aren't these blue ones stinkin' cute!?

Then I got started on the envelopes. My little cards are 2-1/2" x 3" each, so I found that measurement under the "card size" column on the punch board.

I cut my paper for the envelope to 5" x 5" as indicated in the second column. The last column shows that I need to start with the upper left corner of my paper at the 2-3/8" mark.

I was ready to begin.

Here's a quick video from Stampin' Up! that shows how to use this great tool

Aren't these so stinkin' cute!?

For the red Valentines, I assembled my envelopes a little looser to allow for candy to fit inside.

How fun!

The only extra products I added to the kit to make these Valentines were: The 2013-15 In-Color Patterned Paper (Coastal Cabana and Pistachio Pudding), The Envelope Punch Board, Candy, adhesives (Glue Dots and SNAIL), the Stampin' Trimmer, and a Paper Snips.

Before making the Special Valentine Treat, I chose a candy that would somewhat match the colors of the kit contents and show through the little "windows" of the cards. Then I took one of the cards in the kit and sliced it into two pieces – striped card stock and solid.

I took the striped card stock with the "windows" and wrapped it to fit my chocolate covered sunflower seed candy snack contaniner. My measurements were as follows (just in case you want to recreate this and you go out and get this exact candy to do so): starting from the edge that has the "windows"…1/4", 1-1/8", 2-3/8" and 3-1/4".

I attached one of my doilies to this piece and then attached this entire piece to the solid card stock base using Sticky Strip.

So pretty!

The only extra products I added to the kit to make this fun Candy Treat holder were: Candy, adhesives (Glue Dots, Sticky Strip and SNAIL), the Stampin' Trimmer, and a Paper Snips.

For those of you who don't have a subscription, are you ready to give it a go? Click here to sign up. And if you sign up by February 10th, you'll get a pack of 2012-14 In-Color Markers (a $14.95 value) in your Welcome kit for free!!!